Most of us enjoy receiving email. Whether it’s personal or for business, an email from a friend or colleague can brighten our day or provide the information we need to complete an important task at work.
But what about the email we’re expecting that never arrives?
Recently I had the always pleasant experience of having to move, which is stressful enough without having to deal with the poor service I received from my moving company. I followed up with the most appropriate way I thought, by sending an email to my original sales associate at the moving company to express my displeasure in the service I received. I sent the email on a Monday.
By Thursday of the same week, I
still had not received a response back, prompting me to make a phone call to
finally resolve the issue.
Email has become such a common
method of communication in the workplace that people forget there’s an
appropriate etiquette that must be followed. Having been employed in the
business and service industry, I hold a certain level of professionalism when
corresponding with colleagues and customers. It’s the appropriate and courteous
thing to do.
We probably all have made an
embarrassing mistake at one point or another, such as hit “Reply to All” and
sent a mass email intended only for one person. In most cases this probably
didn’t amount to any serious consequences. Other times a sensitive or the wrong
email can be read by somebody it’s not supposed to. I don’t remember ever
sending a mass email when I wasn’t supposed to, but I’ve accidentally delivered
an email to the wrong person by mistake. Even though it was unintentional and
didn’t amount in any harm, it could have backfired against me and my employer.
The
content of a message should hold the same level of respect as the recipient on
the other end. An email to a boss should not hold the same tone as that of a
good friend. I was once reprimanded by a manager because of the casual tone of
some of the emails I was sending to the president of the company. At the time I
didn’t think I was doing anything wrong, but my actions made email etiquette a
topic at an upcoming staff meeting. All emails should also contain proper
grammar, spelling and punctuation. Emoticons should only be exchanged between
colleagues on friendly terms, if at all.
If I can gain anything from my recent experience with the moving company, it’s that responses should be made in a timely fashion. This is crucial when dealing in the customer service industry. Even if the sales associate couldn’t help me with the issues I was having, a formal response informing me would have been the proper and courteous thing to do, preferably within one business day. This lack of initiative can also reflect poorly on the individual and company as a whole.
Why do some people not abide by some
of these standard unwritten rules? Maybe it’s something, like many other
experiences in the workplace, which takes time to learn through trial and
error. Regardless there’s an email etiquette that should be adhered to in any
type of business or service. Inappropriate emails sent to the wrong person can
lead to loss of employment, sexual harassment lawsuits and public relation
nightmares for some companies.
So when composing an email, make sure to be observant of its content. By accidentally hitting “Reply to All”, it just might end up in the wrong inbox.
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